Chapter 96: source code is Coming! Preparing to Intercept Nolan?
[Produced by Star River Pictures]
[Distributed by Columbia Pictures]
"Sean, Sean?"
"You think you know me, but I don't know who you are!"
[Mysterious figure, who is he?]
[Incredible clues]
"You can only exist in 8 minutes of memory."
"Help us find the person who planted the bomb!"
"Must stop him before the explosion!"
["Academy Award for Best Director" "Academy Award for Best Actor" Xu Can]
["Academy Award for Best Actress" Emma Stone]
["Country Music Princess" Taylor Swift's first acting role!]
"Everything will be alright."
"I believe in you!"
[source code!]
[Coming this Easter!]
The 30-second teaser trailer has already surpassed 100 million views on YouTube.
Such a star-studded cast filled people with curiosity about the film!
What kind of movie did Xu Can actually make?
After watching the trailer, fans' questions were not answered; instead, they had even more questions!
"A movie about a time loop? Groundhog Day?"
"No, it seems to be a virtual world, similar to The Matrix!"
"Why does it feel like there's only one space? The setting is quite interesting."
"Taylor looks so beautiful in the trailer!"
"I'm going to watch it! I'm going to buy tickets like crazy!"
The movie was originally a brain-teasing suspense sci-fi film, and the trailer's content made it even more confusing and hard to grasp.
However, from the one-minute clip in the trailer, Taylor Swift's acting was not as bad as the experts claimed.
Taylor Swift's performance, in fact, was quite commendable when juxtaposed with the Best Actor and Best Actress, and she didn't drag them down!
Overnight, the public's perception of Taylor Swiftcompletely reversed!
Countless fans and Xu Can's movie fans left messages supporting her.
This made Taylor Swift incredibly excited, and she immediately went to Xu Can to show off.
"Look, these are all praising me."
"Aren't you praised by your fans every day? Can you still be this happy?"
"That's different," Taylor Swift's mouth almost stretched to her ears.
"These are all praising my acting. My performance isn't worse than Emma's. Does this mean I can also be an Oscar Best Actress on May 20th?"
"Ah, well, yes, I believe you."
Xu Can praised her against his will, unable to bear crushing the confidence she had so painstakingly built up.
In fact, Taylor Swift's acting was indeed quite good, surpassing many Hollywood actresses.
But there was a huge gap between her and truly top-tier actresses, which couldn't be bridged by merely guest-starring in a couple of movies.
Moreover, her battlefield was the music industry; movies were just something she dabbled in occasionally.
An Oscar for Best Actress was pure fantasy.
Never mind. Looking at Taylor Swift's silly, happy face, Xu Can preferred her to be immersed in her beautiful fantasy.
"By the way, I probably won't be able to accompany you to the premiere next month, you know."
Taylor Swift looked at Xu Can longingly.
Xu Can, of course, knew, because he was the one who arranged it.
With the release of her third album, "Speak Now," Taylor Swift would also embark on her first world tour.
It would be held sequentially in New York, Los Angeles, Shibuya, Hong Kong, Songhai, Paris, London, and Barcelona.
Taylor Swift would be traveling around the world for almost half a year.
The thought of not seeing Xu Can next month instantly made Taylor Swift's triumphant mood turn to disappointment.
Her pretty little face also drooped.
"You should be happy. After this tour, you'll make another fortune and become a global superstar."
"It's all for you anyway."
Taylor Swift hugged Xu Can's arm, resting her head on his shoulder.
"I don't want to go out; I just want to stay here."
She was exactly like a little girl who didn't want to start school, constantly pouting.
She was clearly a cool 180cm girl, so why was she becoming more and more fond of acting spoiled?
"Isn't music your dream? You used to be so excited about concerts you couldn't sleep."
"Before was before, now is now. Of course, it's hard not seeing you now."
Taylor Swift said, burying her head in Xu Can's chest again.
"What if my movie loses money? I'll have to rely on your music to give me a transfusion. You're my last resort."
Xu Can held her shoulders, looked seriously into her foxy eyes, and said sternly.
"Huh? Is it that serious? Haven't your movies always been profitable? How many billions does the company have?"
"No, it's possible that one movie could wipe out all the liquid funds. You know, Marvel is currently making three movies at once, and all the money has been poured into them."
What Xu Can said was true. Marvel productions were big-budget, money-burning projects, starting at $150 million in investment.
Producing three simultaneously indeed cost him nearly $600 million. The over a billion in box office revenue he had earned before was basically all invested in them.
Never collaborating with other film companies to share risks, always investing independently,
Xu Can's crazy behavior continued to this day, and currently, investors and filmmakers in the industry still call him a gambler.
"Really? Is my songwriting really that important?" Taylor Swift was bluffed by Xu Can and stopped pouting.
"Yes, even if the film company completely collapses, as long as you're here, I'll have a chance to make a comeback."
"My dear..."
Taylor Swift was incredibly moved, and with her love-struck mind, she was practically in tears, hugging Xu Cantightly.
Xu Can trusted her so much, placing all his hopes on her; how could she slack off?
"Mmm, I'll definitely put on a great concert and earn lots of money for you! So you can make more movies."
Taylor Swift patted her flat chest, feigning boldness, "Don't worry, as long as I'm here, there will be no problems!"
"Mmm, sweetheart, I've always believed in you."
Taylor Swift felt delighted, filled with motivation to work.
No matter how hard or tiring the concerts were, she would be happy as long as she could earn money for Xu Can.
Xu Can held the silly girl in his arms, trying to keep his expression straight to avoid giving himself away.
Due to Emma Stone's public display of affection a few days ago, Taylor Swift felt a sense of crisis and had been overly clingy these past few days.
Even if she was cute, being too clingy wasn't good; too much of a good thing could be detrimental.
Xu Can wanted her to go out and perform concerts, hoping she could get some breathing room, and then their "short separation would be like a new marriage," further warming their relationship.
...
Soon, the day of The Matrix premiere arrived.
Xu Can and Stone Sister finished their styling in the company's makeup room, resting briefly while waiting for the grand appearance in the evening.
Now that they were a Best Actor and Best Actress, their status and treatment were naturally different from before.
Emma Stone looked a bit tired, leaning back in her chair with her eyes closed, resting.
Besides commercials, she also participated in some variety shows, and her schedule was almost fully booked.
Xu Can felt a little sorry for her and told Stone Sister to take fewer engagements.
This workaholic said it didn't matter, as she could use the influence of being a Best Actress to promote Xu Can's new movie.
"How about we cancel that Conan show later? You can rest well at home, otherwise, flying to New Yorktomorrow would be too tiring."
"It's okay, baby, I don't feel tired. I can advertise the movie on the show."
"I feel bad for you."
"A Y(affj)ou-so-sweet," Emma Stone gently stroked Xu Can's cheek,
"Don't worry about me. Auditioning for extras back then was much more tiring than this, and I had two part-time jobs every day."
"By the way, you can consider that film offer; it's a good script."
"Mmm, I also want to take on this movie."
After winning the Best Actress award, Xu Can found an excellent film, "an education." In his previous life, Carey Mulligan was nominated for Best Actress at the 82nd Oscar for this film.
Xu Can thought that Stone Sister could snatch it and compete for next year's Best Actress.
If Stone Sister won the Oscar for Best Actress for two consecutive years, she would undoubtedly be unparalleled and become the top actress in Hollywood!
With Emma Stone's acting skills, she really shouldn't be limited to superhero movies.
"But I'd rather film Spider-Man 3 with you..."
Stone Sister also started to get clingy.
"Playing Spider-Gwen should be very interesting."
"This year is definitely possible. Once you finish an education, we'll immediately start Spider-Man 3!"
Yay!" Stone Sister excitedly pecked Xu Can on the cheek.
After Spider-Man 2 was released last year, it indeed left a huge cliffhanger.
The Sinister Six came online, Gwen Stacy died, but Spider-Gwen came online!
American comic fans, including Xu Can's movie fans, were already impatient, almost daily leaving comments under Xu Can and Emma's social media accounts.
"Ten thousand people begging for Spider-Man 3"
"Please! Start it soon, I'll comment every day"
"Spider-Man 3!!! Please!!"
The two became famous overnight because of Spider-Man, and also came together because of Spider-Man. This movie holds special significance for Xu Can and Emma.
"Then in a few days, are you going to film a sci-fi movie?"
"Yes, I estimate I'll only have time to film Spider-Man 3after this movie..."
"Hmph, I only found out from media leaks, it's Anne Hathaway again! Are you really involved with her?"
Stone Sister feigned anger.
"Don't listen to the media's nonsense, we're just regular collaborators," Xu Can said earnestly.
"I don't believe it," Stone Sister pouted.
Soon, Xu Can leaned in, letting her feel his sincerity.
"Mmm... alright, alright, I believe you!"
Stone Sister almost couldn't breathe.
Speaking of which, Xu Can had no prior preparation for this plan; it was entirely an impromptu decision.
Originally, after the filming of source code and the Oscar Awards Ceremony, he had planned to rest for a while.
He would occasionally go to the Marvel set to supervise, check the production progress of captain america 1, Thor, and Iron Man 2,
and flirt with Scarlett Johansson along the way.
Without Stone Sister and Taylor Swift keeping him in check, Xu Can could do as he pleased.
Who knew that the day after he won the Academy Award for Best Director and Academy Award for Best Actor,
a call came from China, directly reaching him, and with a clear, standard Beijing accent, a respectful greeting:
"Director Xu Can, hello, we are from the Aerospace Center Publicity Department..."
Xu Can was completely bewildered.
He was a filmmaker, what did the higher-ups want with him?
After some communication, Xu Can finally understood the other party's intention.
It turned out that the Aerospace Center was recently launching a series of plans, including the "Chang'e" lunar exploration and the "Tiangong" space station.
Initially, they planned to communicate with NASA for joint development and progress.
Unexpectedly, NASA was narrow-minded and initiated the "Wolf Amendment," leading to the interruption of cooperation between the two sides.
The Chinese side could only research aerospace independently, and unexpectedly, they really achieved results!
Currently, the lunar probe has been launched and is scheduled to land on the moon's surface in two years.
NASA, meanwhile, was spreading rumors behind the scenes, collaborating with some Western media to question these aerospace achievements.
The Aerospace Center simply couldn't tolerate this and directly found Xu Can.
Coincidentally, Xu Can had just won Academy Award for Best Director and the youngest Academy Award for Best Actor; he was currently at the peak of Hollywood.
The Aerospace Center had a sudden idea and decided to have him film a promotional video to showcase the Aerospace Center's strength, and subtly jab at NASA...
You like to imply things, don't you?
We'll directly use your best cultural output to deliver the most powerful blow!
"Ah? Can filming a movie work? I don't know how to film a proper promotional video."
"No problem, there are no restrictions on subject matter or plot. You can freely create, as long as it can externally express our aerospace technology."
"Ah? That's allowed? Let me think about it."
"No problem, we await your reply at any time."
After hanging up the phone, Xu Can kept pondering what kind of movie could promote CNSA while also subtly mocking NASA.
The Wandering Earth? Emmm... it's not quite suitable yet.
The Martian, gravity, these all feel a bit lacking.
Soon, another name appeared in Xu Can's mind, which seemed to have some potential!
interstellar!
Sorry, Nolan, I didn't cut you off with Inception last time, but this time I definitely have to!
Chapter 97: source code Released! Taylor Swift's Concert Plan
Since interstellar was to be filmed for CNSA promotion.
Xu Can intended to take it seriously this time, striving to improve upon Nolan's original version and elevate this sci-fi film to a new height.
It must be admitted that the original interstellar, with its Douban score of 8.6, had its unique merits.
The visualization of wormholes, black holes, and other cosmic wonders provided intense audio-visual stimulation to the audience, leading them to consider it the best sci-fi film since the 21st century.
There were also some viewers who felt the film's core was a bit thin; while love could indeed transcend time and space and serve as humanity's hope for survival,
the film presented this view in an overly preachy and cliché manner, which didn't align with the calm and rationality of hard sci-fi.
The five-dimensional space hypercube appeared somewhat fantastical and absurd in the eyes of some viewers...
In short, it was a sufficiently excellent and historically significant film, but not a perfect one.
To avoid disrupting the film's intrinsic experience, Xu Canwould not make major changes.
Given his Chinese identity, it would be logical to change NASA, which built the interstellar spacecraft in the story's background, to CNSA.
In the story, Earth's climate is harsh, and NASA loses its drive for exploration, drastically cutting staff to reduce expenses.
Only CNSA absorbs excellent aerospace experts from around the world, becoming the only organization attempting to break through the stars.
Including the infinitely running drone at the beginning of the film, which is a Chinese product;
On the frozen planet where Dr. Mann is located, Chinese astronauts had explored there 20 years ago and established a research base;
The old professor spent his life researching the gravityformula, which was actually completed by Chinese scientists on the frozen planet;
The wormhole coordinates were also first discovered by Chinese CNSA,
The information encoding in the five-dimensional space was all collected and organized by Chinese robots,
Therefore, it can be concluded that the power behind the creation of the five-dimensional space might be Chinese...
These were not fabrications by Xu Can, but rather from the original interstellar script, personally written by the original screenwriter Jonathan Nolan.
This makes perfect sense, because who else in this world is constantly exploring space, constantly launching satellites, and constantly attempting lunar landings besides CNSA?
Even NASA itself has to ask CNSA for lunar soil, despite them having sent people to the moon decades ago!
In film and television works, whenever space is mentioned, Chinese elements cannot be ignored!
Later, Christopher Nolan made a series of cuts, and the Chinese elements were largely removed,
Even the drone was changed to an Indian invention, which was indeed quite absurd.
So this time, Xu Can had no psychological burden in taking over interstellar; he intended to fully restore the original appearance of the story,
and incidentally complete the organization's task of promoting CNSA's strength and vindicating China!
Of course, everything would have to wait until the source code matters were settled before Xu Can would have time to start the filming plan.
Xu Can had to complete a 2014 movie in 2009, and the cost of special effects was not a small sum.
Dying to Survive's box office in China has already exceeded 800 million RMB, and its global box office is heading straight for 500 million US dollars, which will bring Xu Can at least 200 million US dollars in net income. This money can be invested directly into interstellar.
Coupled with the box office of source code, the company can still maintain a healthy cash flow.
If it can earn enough box office revenue...
"Hopefully source code will make a breakthrough this time!"
...
At the premiere, without Taylor Swift's restraint, Emma Stone was noticeably happier, clinging affectionately to Xu Can.
Her public declaration of love at the Oscar Awards Ceremony was tantamount to an official announcement to the world, openly pursuing Xu Can in front of everyone.
Being able to monopolize Xu Can's red carpet show this time was a slight victory over Taylor Swift.
The familiar Galaxy Theater, the familiar premiere, and the still packed screening hall.
The long-awaiting fans finally got Xu Can's new work!
source code!
What's more, with Taylor Swift starring, the cinema also had many of Taylor Swift's fans.
Everyone wanted to see what Taylor Swift's acting was like.
Finally, the lights dimmed, and the cinema instantly fell silent.
Accompanied by the Star River Pictures logo, the movie officially began! Its first meeting with global audiences!
...
From Star River Pictures
A Film by Director Xu Can
Starring: Xu Can, Emma Stone, Taylor Swift
The film opens with an aerial shot of Chicago, a city of towering buildings resembling a steel jungle, exceptionally cold.
A speeding train, the camera continually zooms in, then focuses on a sleeping man inside the train.
Compared to his scruffy appearance in Dying to Survive, and the down-and-out assassin in john wick,
Xu Can's look in source code was another style entirely, with a complete transformation in his overall demeanor!
He was a retired Marine Corps helicopter pilot,
For some unknown reason, he abruptly found himself on a strange train,
Across from him, a beautiful, unfamiliar woman was striking up a conversation,
With people coming and going around him, the entire environment amplified his unease!
Xu Can's first shot, his first gaze, instantly conveyed his emotions to all the viewers!
That unease and panic were transmitted through the screen to every audience member!
Christopher Nolan, James Cameron, and Martin Scorsese were all invited to attend this premiere.
They stared at the screen with various expressions, all in agreement, praising Xu Can's performance.
"He truly is an Academy Award for Best Actor!"
"These quick cuts were handled very well too!"
"He's truly so talented! I wasn't this sharp at 21."
The youngest Academy Award for Best Actor in history, the youngest Academy Award for Best Director, left them dumbfounded with just the first set of shots.
"I took your advice, thank you, it was very useful."
"What?"
"You look pale, are you feeling okay? Sean?"
Someone behind him opened a beer, a passerby spilled coffee on his shoe, a black man next to him complained about the train being late, a conductor came to check tickets...
"Your ticket, sir."
Ticket?
The male lead, Colt, was confused, and the beautiful woman opposite him reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a ticket.
Taylor Swift's movements and expression were just right, very natural.
"Hey, you seem a bit distracted, what's wrong?"
"Listen, you think you know me, but I don't know you! I'm Captain Colt Stevens, Marine Corps helicopter pilot."
"Hehehe, Sean, that's too ridiculous..."
"I've had enough."
The protagonist, Colt, stood up and left.
In the first segment of her performance, Taylor Swiftdidn't make anyone feel like they were taken out of the story at all,
Yet her beauty seemed out of place in the entire train car, as if it wasn't real.
From the mirror in the restroom, Colt was horrified to discover that the face in the mirror was not his own, but that of a stranger!
"Sean, what's going on?"
"I really don't know you! None of this is mine!"
"Hey, we're getting off at the next stop, okay? Calm down?"
The beautiful woman played by Taylor Swift grasped his shoulder and said softly.
"Don't worry, everything will be fine..."
Boom!
Intense flames shot into the sky, and a violent explosion instantly engulfed the two of them!
The entire Chicago train station was engulfed in flames! Everything was like hell descending!
"Hiss—"
The audience in the cinema was instantly stunned; usually, such devastating blows are reserved for the end of a movie.
Why was it so intensely explosive at the beginning?
Xu Can utilized Starlight Digital's latest technology to make the explosions in the movie more realistic and immersive.
Even in the cinema, a strong shockwave could be faintly felt!
Some timid audience members were startled by the sudden attack!
Soon, while the audience was still immersed in the shock of the explosion, the camera quickly returned to the protagonist, Colt!
"Captain Colt, this is Goodwin. Captain Colt Stevens?"
A familiar voice rang out, and Xu Can's fans instantly recognized it.
Emma Stone!
"Where am I?"
"You are in Goodwin, can you hear me?"
Indeed, Emma Stone's face appeared on the screen.
She wore an air force uniform, looking heroic and spirited.
After some communication, the audience finally understood.
It turned out that the male lead, Colt, served in the Marine Corps, and he was to help this "Goodwin" organization complete a top-secret mission.
The liaison played by Emma Stone was named Goodwin, an officer.
"Who bombed the train?" Goodwin kept asking.
"Who knows?"
"Then go back and try again, just like last time, you only have 8 minutes."
"Go back where?"
"Find the bomb, find the person who planted the bomb."
Before the protagonist, Colt, could react, everything before his eyes instantly shifted.
He was back on the train again!
Across from him was still that beautiful, unfamiliar woman!
"I took your advice, thank you, it feels great."
Someone opened a beer behind him, coffee spilled on his shoe, everything was exactly the same as last time!
If it started as a simple suspense crime event, the story gradually became science fiction from here.
The audience realized that this movie seemed to be a continuous loop.
There are many similar movies, and Xu Can was not the first to propose this concept.
But everyone was eager to see what new ideas Xu Cancould bring to this concept.
This time, the protagonist knew his mission and began to get up to find the bomb and the bomber.
Initially, he just gathered clues based on his previous memories,
And he learned the name of the woman opposite him, Christina; the two often met on this commuter train and eventually became friends.
Through his military intuition, Colt found the bomb above the restroom!
Unfortunately, just as he was about to investigate the bomber, the bomb exploded again!
This time, he clearly felt the pain of death.
He wanted to give up, to leave this dreadful project.
But the "Goodwin" liaison, Goodwin, informed him that,
That train had already exploded in reality!
The protagonist actually entered the train through "Sean's" memory,
The bomber would create an even bigger explosion, and the entire city would be engulfed in flames.
So, the protagonist Colt needed to quickly find the bomber through the memory loop within a limited time!
He carried the lives of tens of millions of people on his shoulders!
As soon as this concept was introduced, it immediately created a sense of tension.
The memory loop was not infinite; the protagonist's time was slowly slipping away!
By this point, the audience was completely engrossed in the plot, staring nervously at the screen.
...
Meanwhile, at the Metropolis Stadium in New York.
Taylor Swift was on stage doing a soundcheck with her concert team; tomorrow, she would take the stage for the first stop of her tour.
Standing on stage, Taylor Swift looked thoughtfully at the empty seats below.
The Concert Director scurried over with an embarrassed smile.
"Miss Swift, there's still a slight issue with the concert flow… are you really going to do it this way?"
"Of course, this is the most crucial part; I must complete it."
"But if he doesn't come, everything will be meaningless, and it will affect the subsequent procedures."
"He will definitely come."
Taylor Swift's gaze shifted, and she smiled sweetly at the stage below, as if she saw the person she was longing for.
Chapter 98: "source code" Receives Rave Reviews, "'Dying to Survive'" Breaks Chinese Box Office Records!
"source code" was currently playing, and the audience in the cinema was nervously staring at the screen, afraid of missing any important clues.
Xu Can's new film seemed a bit brain-burning.
The protagonist Colt was trapped in an 8-minute memory loop and needed to find the bomber to prevent the next explosion.
He also learned a shocking truth: he had died on the battlefield! He was connected to the memory of a deceased passenger named Sean!
Most people would surely find it hard to accept such a reality.
As a soldier, the male lead could only try his best to play his part and save more innocent lives.
Through repeated cycles, Colt continuously made mistakes and repeated the previous process, gradually becoming familiar with everyone and every event in the train car.
The only cost of each cycle was experiencing the pain of death.
Finally, Colt used his "cheat" to trace the bomber through a phone on the bomb and found the person who planted it.
And he found more bombs in this person's car!
But how could the killer be caught so easily!
The culprit, taking advantage of the male lead's distraction, shot and killed Colt and his female companion, Christina.
Colt was forced into another loop.
"Oh, Noooo…"
The audience in the cinema sighed in dismay when they saw the male lead's efforts come to naught.
And Christina, who had followed him, also met with misfortune.
Taylor Swift's performance was truly profound; she portrayed the surprise of being shot and her attachment to the male lead, Colt, with remarkable depth.
Taylor Swift's acting surprisingly did not resemble that of an inexperienced newcomer; instead, it was like that of a professional actress with many years of experience.
Simply in the shot of falling and dying, Taylor Swiftactually conveyed layers of emotion!
"Six six zero" "Wow! It's truly surprising, this is actually Taylor Swift!"
Film critic William exclaimed.
Roger Ebert, who was beside him, smiled.
"It might be strange for anyone else, but the Director is Xu Can. As a Best Actor and Best Director, he certainly has the ability to bring out the best in others' performances."
As a recognized prominent film critic in North America, Roger Ebert had already noticed a pattern.
Whenever Xu Can was on set, everyone else's performance would reach its peak.
Many actors with average acting skills could deliver first-rate performances.
Actors who already had excellent acting skills could even perform like Best Actors and Best Actresses.
The reason Emma Stone in "la la land" won Best Actress without controversy wasn't because her opponents were too weak.
If the original Stone Sister were here, she might not have been able to compete with Aunt May, Fat Winslet, and Anne Hathaway, such a formidable lineup of Best Actress nominees.
In her previous life, the 2009 Oscar Best Actress was Fat Winslet, and Kate Winslet's performance in "The Reader" was indeed slightly superior.
But with the dual buffs of Xu Can's god-tier acting and god-tier directing, Emma Stone's performance almost broke through her theoretical limits.
In a fantastical description, it was the perfect state of her realm, the peak of a master, half a step to legend.
Therefore, Taylor Swift, with no acting experience, could instantly become a first-tier actress, but only for this movie.
...
Fortunately, before dying, the male lead Colt remembered the bomber's license plate and knew the killer's name through his ID.
These clues allowed them to skip previous investigations in the next loop and directly apprehend the bomber!
As expected, by sharing this information, the police in the real world quickly apprehended the bomber, preventing an explosion that would have endangered thousands of lives.
The mission should have ended there, but the male lead requested the "Siege" supervisor for another loop, hoping to save the people on the train.
"It's useless," Goodwin, the liaison, said helplessly.
"This source code program is not for saving the past, but for preventing the future; you have already done that."
"That train shouldn't have exploded; I missed a detonator that could have prevented this explosion."
"This is just a program; the girl on the train and everyone else are already dead."
In other words, what happened in the past had already occurred, and no matter how many thousands of loops he went through, it couldn't change the fact.
"You're wrong," the protagonist Colt said firmly, "No, she has a chance to live."
"I beg you, send me back, and then end my life."
Seeing this scene, the liaison Goodwin felt a complicated mix of emotions.
Colt was already barely surviving, relying only on his brain; strictly speaking, he had already died in battle.
What was the point of keeping him trapped in a confined space?
As an Oscar Best Actress, Emma Stone used these few seconds of silent footage to portray the complex state of being in a struggle with exquisite skill.
She glanced at Colt's body, which lay in the metal box nearby.
According to the department's regulations, she needed to keep the male lead's consciousness forever trapped in memory to help them with counter-terrorism.
But out of humanitarian considerations, Goodwineventually softened and sent Colt back to the train.
Back on the train, the male lead Colt looked at the strange yet familiar Christina.
Although she was dead in reality, in this virtual world, she was still a living being!
"Perhaps we could have coffee together."
"Sure, that would be interesting."
Christina, played by Taylor Swift, smiled radiantly, brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, and looked at the male lead with tender affection.
It was obvious to anyone that this was not acting.
Taylor clearly had feelings for Xu Can in front of her; with her acting skills, if she didn't feel anything for Xu Can, she couldn't have performed with such deep affection.
Although rumors of their relationship had already been confirmed, she had even publicly kissed Xu Can at the Grammy Awards.
Now there was another piece of undeniable evidence!
"She really loves you," Emma whispered resentfully in Xu Can's ear.
"I'm the one with you now," Xu Can squeezed her cheek, telling her not to overthink it.
"Mm," Stone Sister gently leaned her head on Xu Can's shoulder.
She felt like not thinking about anyone else, just enjoying the happiness of the moment.
In the movie, the male lead Colt successfully disarmed the bomb and handcuffed the bomber.
Thus, he successfully saved the train.
The bomber was completely dumbfounded.
I haven't even started revealing any clues, how did you know?
Unfortunately, even if he saved the train, this memory only lasted 8 minutes.
Once time was up, he still had to return to that confined, dark space, with no peace.
With only one minute left, Colt didn't care anymore and embraced Christina in the virtual world, kissing her deeply.
"Ow! Ouch, ouch, ouch!"
In reality, Xu Can winced in pain as Emma gripped his arm, applying a little pressure.
"It's a kiss scene the story needs, why are you jealous?"
"You clearly kissed very seriously."
Aside from Xu Can, Emma Stone had never had a kiss scene with anyone else, including Robert Pattinson, the male lead of twilight.
The twilight series, which was supposed to conquer the world, disappeared after only two films.
The biggest reason wasn't a bad story or poor acting, but rather the complete lack of chemistry between the male and female leads!
They had no kiss scenes, no intimate moments; they were practically like siblings! Even less expressive than siblings!
Movie fans watched the twilight series to see the romance; how sweet was the romance between a vampire and a normal woman!
But the movies were practically 0 sugar, 0 energy. Yuanqi Forest sparkling water was a million times sweeter than twilight, so what was the point of even acting?
Therefore, since Stone Sister became an actress, the only male lead she had chemistry and interaction with was Xu Can.
This would be her only on-screen couple and real-life partner in her acting career, and Stone Sister had no intention of accepting any other intimate scenes.
Yet, Xu Can kept changing partners in his movies.
Previously, he had performed R-rated scenes with Anne Hathaway, which made people blush.
Now, he was French kissing Taylor Swift.
Of course, Stone Sister felt unbalanced inside.
"Don't make a scene here. When we go home tonight, I'll make it all up to you."
"You're improper!"
Stone Sister had no temper with him at all. Looking at Xu Can's burning gaze, she couldn't help but feel a little hot.
She seemed to have squeezed Xu Can's hand a bit too hard just now. Stone Sister, feeling soft-hearted, rubbed his arm again.
Xu Can, meanwhile, was secretly pleased. His arm muscles were solid, and he didn't feel any pain at all.
He had completely faked it with his god-tier acting, deliberately making Emma feel bad for him.
It must be said that as long as one's acting skills are good enough, dealing with women is simply effortless.
…
The moment male lead Colt and the virtual girl Christinakissed, Captain Goodwin pressed the kill button.
Colt's remaining body completely died.
However, in the memory world, Colt did not return to the "Siege" and did not reincarnate!
He actually lasted through 8 minutes of memory and could continue writing the story!
Could it be that the "source code" mentioned by Dr. was not just pure memory?
But a truly vast virtual space?
At the end of the film, at a point in time before the "source code" project was implemented, Captain Goodwinactually received a text message!
Male lead Colt had forewarned of the train bombing in the real world.
Using foreknowledge, he prevented the disaster that was supposed to happen, truly saving the people on the train!
"You thought you created an 8-minute memory world, but that's not it…."
"You created a new world, a parallel universe."
"Please tell Captain Colt Stevens of your world that everything will be alright."
The film ended abruptly!
[Director Xu Can's Work]
[Starring Xu Can, Emma Stone, and Taylor Swift]
"Bravo!!!"
Xu Can's new work, a small-budget, short-form suspense sci-fi film, brought new thoughts and shock to all audiences.
At this point in 2009, the infinite loop restart mode had not yet been overused.
The Beginning, Edge of Tomorrow, and Triangle had not yet been released.
Groundhog Day was just a light comedy about love and life.
A film like source code, with a certain suspenseful sci-fi element, was truly innovative!
Audiences were full of surprises for this movie!
As expected of Xu Can, he did not disappoint!
Even after the film ended and the premiere was over, audiences were still discussing the movie on their way home.
Was the world the protagonist sat in real or virtual?
How did he travel through time to warn of the bombing in advance?
Would there be limitations in the new world, and would it be the same as the real world?
The movie did not provide clear answers to these questions, giving the audience enough room for imagination.
In addition, the most discussed topic among the audience was Taylor Swift's acting.
"Taylor Swift's acting is absolutely amazing! I never knew she could act!"
"The interaction with Xu Can was so sweet, a new on-screen couple is born!"
"I'm a firm Emma supporter! It's such a shame the male lead didn't end up with Captain Goodwin!"
"Exactly!! Captain Goodwin clearly liked the male lead too!"
"It's a pity that in the real world, the male lead only has half a body… he's better off in the virtual world."
"Looking forward to Taylor Swift's new movie, Xu Canshould take her to film more!"
On the first day of source code's release, the IMDb opening score was already out, with an 8.9/10, which is quite high for a short-form sci-fi film.
The subsequent score is expected to remain around 8.5.
After all, this was just a temporary solution Xu Can came up with on a whim to solve the two women's New Year's Eve problem.
Making the movie was just a side project, and achieving such results was an unexpected bonus.
This film only cost less than 10 million US dollars to produce. Stone Sister, Taylor Swift, and he himself all acted without pay, greatly reducing expenses.
It only needed 40 million to break even, and 100 million US dollars would be a huge profit!
However, the box office results came out! Xu Can was surprised!
The North America market's opening weekend was 37.5 million US dollars!
It defeated Nicolas Cage's 3.3-star Knowing and won the weekend box office championship!
It broke even in just 3 days, and the remaining box office was pure profit!
As for how much he earned, Xu Can didn't care.
Anyway, his Dying to Survive had already made a killing!
After Dying to Survive just finished its theatrical run, it grossed a total of 850 million US dollars worldwide!
It alone raked in 250 million US dollars in the China market, which translates to 1.8 billion RMB!
It seems that Xu Can's version of Dying to Survive's 1.8 billion is much less than the original's 3.1 billion,
But this was early 2009!
Prices and inflation were not as exaggerated as they would be later.
100 yuan at this time was equivalent to over 280 yuan in 2018!
The 1.8 billion box office created by Xu Can was equivalent to 5 billion later!
That was the box office level of Wolf Warrior 2, The Battle at Lake Changjin, Hi, Mom, and Nezha!
Originally, the 2009 box office champion was 2012, with 456 million!
Avatar, which swept the globe in early 2010 and won the global box office championship, had a China box office of 1.4 billion before its re-release.
That was James Cameron's cross-era special effects blockbuster with overwhelming publicity!
However, this timeline was completely hijacked by Xu Can!
Dying to Survive, after being hyped by the "Lu Yongcase," coupled with the publicity from news broadcast, Focus Interview, and various provincial satellite TV media, newspapers, and magazines,
Became almost a household name across China!
Coupled with the film's online quality, with a stable 9 on IMDb and a stable 9.5 on Douban,
Dying to Survive became the pioneer of the China film market!
It transitioned China cinema from the "barbaric era" to a new era!
The 1 billion box office era has begun.
Chapter 99: Taylor Swift's Concert God-Tier Performance, Recreating Spider-Man's Famous Scene!
source code" had not yet claimed the weekend box office championship and was preparing to take off in the North American market.
Far away in New York, Taylor Swift's global tour, the first stop, had already begun.
After the explosive success of her two albums, "Taylor Swift" and "Fearless,"
Taylor Swift's third album, "Speak Now," caused a huge stir in the music market as soon as it was released!
In its first week, album sales surpassed 1.04 million copies! It instantly debuted at the top of the Billboard album chart!
At the same time, it achieved sales championships in 14 countries and regions worldwide, powerfully topping the charts!
Album tracks "Mine," "Spark Fly," and "The Story of Us" all climbed into the top 100 of the Billboard Hot 100!
The newly released song "Shake It Off" even rushed into the top 10 of the Billboard charts, debuting at a high position!
The former "Country Music Princess" was evolving into the "European and American Pop Queen"!
Coupled with the recent "source code" craze, Taylor Swift's ticket sales for this global tour exploded.
On the day pre-sales opened in New York, the booking website server crashed directly, and offline, queues stretched for several kilometers, making tickets incredibly hard to come by.
The Metropolis Stadium, which can accommodate 82,000 people, couldn't even spare a single ticket!
North American scalpers had inflated the lowest $75 tickets to $22,000 each!
In Xu Can's eyes, Taylor Swift, who loved watching dramas, enjoyed acting spoiled at home, and was like a little girl,
was actually a global first-tier female singer, entering the ranks of top stars!
On the second day of the "source code" premiere, the concert had already begun!
On the day of the concert, the NYPD even deployed hundreds of police cars and hundreds of police officers to maintain order at the scene.
Taylor Swift, sitting in the backstage lounge, was still on the phone with Xu Can just before she was about to go on stage.
"Can you really not make it?"
"Yes, I have premieres and roadshows recently, so I'm afraid I can't go. I'll definitely go to your Los Angelesconcert next time."
"Okay, it's important for you to focus on your work; anyway, I have plenty of concert opportunities."
"Everything goes well, sweetheart."
"Hehe, Mua~"
Through the phone, Taylor smiled brightly and blew a kiss.
After hanging up the phone, her smile instantly froze on her face.
Even though she knew Xu Can probably couldn't make it, Taylor Swift still had some expectations, but unfortunately, her expectations were shattered, and she had to return to reality.
In Los Angeles, Emma was accompanying Xu Can, so she naturally wasn't needed.
Recently, the promotion of "source code" has been done by the on-screen couple Emma and Xu Can.
Although she also starred in it, her concert schedule conflicted, preventing her from joining their roadshows.
During the time she wasn't there, their relationship must have grown increasingly intimate, right?
Although Taylor Swift didn't want to think too much, she inevitably did.
"How much weight do I hold in Xu Can's heart?"
Just as Taylor Swift was staring blankly, the concert Director rushed to the backstage in a hurry.
"Oh my god, you're here, I've been looking for you for a long time… Hurry up, get ready, you're on in 5 minutes."
"What?"
"It's not your first concert, are you still nervous? Remember, 5 minutes, adjust yourself!"
The Director left in a hurry, leaving Taylor Swift alone in the dressing room.
"Phew, you can do it! Taylor!"
Taylor Swift patted her cheeks, trying to clear her head.
Xu Can couldn't see her performance live, but he could at least watch her performance via live stream.
She must show him her best state!
"Go for it!"
Taylor Swift took a few deep breaths, and all her original energy and vitality returned!
…
"Why hasn't it started yet? The opening acts have already sung 3 songs."
"It's still early, Taylor Swift is probably still preparing."
"Do you feel that the songs of these three opening acts are amazing!"
"Yes, I like the short one."
"Ariana, I listened to her single! It's very powerful!"
"And Carly and Lana Del Rey's songs are also very good!"
"Galaxy-Music has signed a bunch of goddesses!"
Below the stage, over 80,000 "Mei fans" were waiting for Taylor Swift to appear, while opening acts Squat Sister, Lana Del Rey, and A all performed their respective singles.
They had gradually accumulated some experience and fans after a period of creation.
When the three new albums are released this summer, they will definitely ignite the European and American music scene!
Of course, today's protagonist is Taylor Swift.
The moment the familiar drumbeat and rhythmic prelude melody sounded, the entire New York Metropolis Stadium instantly erupted!
"I- stay-out-too-late, I- got-nothing-in-my-brain"
"That's-what-people-say…"
Only her voice was heard, not her person, but the opening song "Shake It Off" instantly ignited the atmosphere!
Amidst cheers and waving glow sticks, Taylor Swift, dressed in a black power suit, leaped onto the stage.
Beautiful and fierce!
As long as she stood on the stage, she was the most dazzling woman in the world!
This song, newly released, immediately topped charts in various countries, becoming the 22nd "first-week champion single" in Billboard history, making history!
And it held the top spot for 4 consecutive weeks, sweeping the globe!
As a newly released song, the entire audience had already begun a massive sing-along to "Shake It Off,"
The concert reached its climax from the very beginning and continued to be exhilarating!
Then Taylor Swift continuously presented her famous works, "Tim McGraw," "Teardrops On My Guitar," "Fearless," "Fifteen,"
Especially for "Love Story," Taylor Swift couldn't even find a chance to sing, as the entire audience had already started a magnificent sing-along.
Taylor Swift's singing echoed throughout the New Yorksky.
While singing, she chatted with fans and interacted during the concert.
The two-hour first stop of the tour was nearing its end.
Taylor Swift's concerts have always been live vocals, singing and dancing, playing it real.
She was panting heavily at this point, but fortunately, she often exercised with Xu Can, so she could still maintain her breath.
"There's one last song today, and I plan to dedicate this song to someone, even though he might not be able to be here today…"
"Oh oh oh oh?"
"Holy Shit!"
"No way!"
The tens of thousands of fans below the stage instantly got excited, not expecting Taylor Swift to have a hidden program at the end?
Who else could she be talking about besides that person?
After Stone Sister's high-profile declaration of love at the Oscar, was Taylor Swift also going to compete fiercely?
All the fans below the stage widened their eyes.
"A familiar song, 'You Belong With Me,' dedicated to you!"
"My China boy, my savior, my closest friend… and, my beloved!"
"I really wish you were here today…"
As Taylor Swift said this, tears were already welling up in her eyes.
She didn't know why herself, but she was just very emotional.
It was just a pity that Xu Can couldn't make it today, so these confessions could only be sent across thousands of kilometers to…
"Hmm?"
Just then, a stage spotlight suddenly shone on a certain section of the audience!
There, surprisingly, was a young Eastern man in a suit, full of vigor!
He watched Taylor Swift, who was radiant on stage, with a faint smile!
"She really is most beautiful on stage. Is that really the Taylor Swift I know?"
Xu Can sighed at the same time.
Taylor Swift was truly beautiful today.
"Oh oh oh oh—"
"Oh my god!"
After seeing Xu Can's figure, the entire venue immediately erupted in cheers even louder than before!
The person Taylor Swift had applied to confess to really appeared at the scene!
And the knowledgeable fans were basically Xu Can's movie fans. Everyone knew that he had only appeared at the "source code" premiere yesterday.
This morning, he was still participating in roadshows in Los Angeles, and in the afternoon, he even held a fan meeting.
Originally, fans thought Xu Can would not appear in New York, but they didn't expect him to be like Superman, appearing on time!
This was not the most explosive part.
Just as Taylor Swift and all the fans looked on expectantly, a rope resembling Spider-Man's web shot from Xu Can's hand towards the main stage!
Xu Can, without any protective measures, grabbed the rope with his bare hands,
like Spider-Man, he swung from the distant stands to above the main stage!
"WTF???"
"Spider-Man?!"
"He really can do it!"
Under the camera's capture, and with the entire audience dumbfounded,
Xu Can really successfully flew above the stage and hung upside down, just like Spider-Man!
Taylor Swift could no longer hold back. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she rushed over to hug Xu Can and kissed him deeply!
She remembered that at SNL Saturday Night Live, the two were not very familiar with each other at that time, having only met for the second time.
Xu Can secretly kissed Taylor Swift, which made Taylor Swift blush at the time.
Now, Taylor Swift had no scruples, kissing Xu Can deeply in front of tens of thousands of people.
The audience below was stunned, collectively petrified.
This was clearly a classic move of Peter Parker and Gwen, but Taylor Swift unexpectedly snatched it in reality!
Xu Can himself hadn't thought of this!
Before Taylor Swift planned the stage, Xu Can had actually secretly inquired about her arrangements.
The Director and the on-site construction team were all people from his own company, so he knew the situation even better than Taylor Swift.
So Taylor Swift designed a segment where she would appear with Xu Can, and Xu Can had already been secretly preparing for it.
Then he deliberately said he couldn't make it, making Taylor Swift a little disappointed,
And then gave her a surprise.
Xu Can even asked Sony Pictures for all the equipment used to film Spider-Man, as well as a rope similar to a web.
This way, he could also rely on Spider-Man's physical fitness and reaction speed to complete an aerial swing and arrive above the stage for a perfect appearance.
After Xu Can secretly contacted the on-site Director to arrange all this, he originally planned to land handsomely next to Taylor Swift.
He didn't expect that as soon as he swung down with the rope, Taylor Swift would kiss him first.
The two unintentionally completed a classic scene from "Spider-Man."
The concert's live performance was maximized!
All the audience gave the most enthusiastic applause and cheers! Many of Xu Can's movie fans and 780 music fans had hoarse voices from shouting.
Many tourists in New York's Times Square, who were unaware of what was happening, didn't even realize what had occurred.
"What's going on? Did it explode? There's a sudden tremor!"
In this crazy scene, Emma Stone silently watched everything from the distant stands.
A while ago, she made a high-profile declaration of love, gaining the upper hand and slightly overshadowing Taylor Swift.
She didn't expect that today it would be her turn to be backlashed,
Gwen and Spider-Man's exclusive moment was also snatched by Taylor Swift.
But this scene was too shocking, so much so that Emma Stone had to admit that the two of them looked really good together on stage.
"Should I… just leave?"
Stone Sister finally decided to leave, but she couldn't bear to.
She could only watch the two embracing and kissing on stage with mixed feelings, feeling like a dog.
After the upside-down kiss of the century, Xu Cangracefully landed with a somersault and embraced Taylor Swift.
"Let me introduce you, this is Spider-Man, the youngest Academy Award for Best Director, Academy Award for Best Actor, and… my man! Xu Can!"
Taylor Swift, full of vigor, announced to the world on stage that Xu Can was her man.
At this moment, the concert atmosphere instantly reached its peak!
…
"Taylor Swift's concert high-profile official announcement of her relationship with Xu Can, the drama of two women vying for one man has fully escalated!"
"Pop music diva's concert first stop stages a Spider-Manfamous scene! Taylor Swift declares love for the new Academy Award for Best Actor, pursuing Xu Cantogether with Emma Stone!"
"Concert live performance of Spider-Man! The most thrilling moment in history! Taylor Swift's stage has gone beyond divine!"
The next day, the entire North America, and even the world's entertainment media, exploded.
Xu Can and Taylor Swift were so high-profile, it was almost an announcement to the whole world, confirming all previous rumors.
Now everyone knew that Emma Stone was competing with Taylor Swift for the same man!
Xu Can was once again pushed to the forefront!
Facing the media's close-up interviews after the concert, Xu Can only had one sentence:
""source code" is currently showing, starring Taylor Swiftand Emma Stone. Everyone is welcome to watch it in theaters."
You made the biggest news in North America, and then you used the interview to advertise?
North American netizens were stunned by Xu Can's move; they had planned to delve deeper into the couple's relationship and enjoy the gossip.
And this is all?
However, after this commotion, the box office of "source code" not only won the box office championship of that week, creating 37.5 million US dollars over the weekend,
It soared even more wildly in the following days!
Breaking through 200 million US dollars in one week!
A movie with a cost of only 10 million is about to earn more than 40 times its profit.
Chapter 100 Xu Can's Entertainment Empire is Rising
The Taylor Swift concert confession incident is still fermenting,
Many fan-shot videos appeared on YouTube or Face platforms,
Whether it was Xu Can swinging to the stage with his web or the famous scene of the upside-down deep kiss, they were all talked about with great relish,
Each video had at least over a million views.
Netizens from various countries naturally took the attitude of gossiping and shipping,
Taylor Swift has had various unclear rumors with Xu Cansince her debut,
Including that kiss at the Grammy,
Countless fans have long wished for the two to officially date,
Their CP fan base is no less than Gwen x Spider-Man's CP fan base,
Now that the two have finally achieved a positive outcome, the CP fans naturally ushered in a wave of celebration.
On the other hand, Stone Sister's CP fans were unhappy. Some jumped out to curse Xu Can as a scumbag, and even more fans supported Stone Sister to fight back.
The two of them have collaborated on multiple works and are basically tied together,
No one Stone Sister could replace would be better than Xu Can.
Thus, the online debate between the two fan groups escalated, sparking an internet war.
From the newly popular Twitter on Face to the YouTube comment sections, arguments could be seen everywhere.
However, due to Xu Can's restraint and the quality of both fan bases, their arguments did not go too far, staying within a relatively reasonable scope.
As for the parties involved, it was as if nothing had happened.
Taylor Swift continued her concert, going on tour to various places.
Xu Can needed to fly to China, returning to his homeland.
The 'interstellar' project discussed with CNSA was urgent and time-sensitive, so Xu Can needed to quickly assemble a crew and start filming as soon as possible.
Before leaving, Xu Can also had to hold an important high-level meeting at the company to arrange the tasks for 2009.
"You're finally back. Be careful, or you'll forget where the company door is."
Happy complained helplessly.
His boss was nowhere to be found every day, dumping everything on him, the general manager.
When he was Xu Can's agent, although he didn't earn much, at least he was Happy.
Now, Happy was an expert at staying up late, sleeping only four or five hours a day, and spending the rest of his time helping Xu Can with company operations.
He filtered out the most critical decisions from countless others to hand over to Xu Can.
Unless there was a difficult decision that required the company's chairman, Xu Can, to personally attend the meeting.
Star River Pictures, Galaxy-Music, Starlight Digital, Star River Streaming, and Marvel Entertainment—
The executives from Xinghe Entertainment's five major sectors gathered,
including Happy, Kevin Feige, Doug Morris, the elder responsible for music, Joey White, head of Star River Pictures, Xu Jian, head of digital effects, Ted Sarandos, head of streaming...
It even included one of the company's shareholders, the angel investor Ivanka.
It had been a long time since Xu Can saw Ivanka; her skin was even better, and in front of outsiders, she exuded the noble aura of a wealthy young lady.
She sat next to Xu Can in a black dress, her smooth, fair calves causing Xu Can to glance at them a couple of times.
With the group's key figure in place, each department began its reports and upcoming plans.
Regarding music,
A, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Lana Del Rey would all release their debut albums this year.
A's 'Yours Truly' focused on a sweet and cute style, a stark contrast to her later explicit songs.
It included future hit singles like 'The Way.'
Carly Rae Jepsen's second album, 'Kiss,' was also completed, and it already featured the globally popular song 'Call Me Maybe.'
When Xu Can chatted with Carly Rae Jepsen, he intentionally or unintentionally brought up the creative idea for this song, which indeed inspired her!
For non-film projects like this, Xu Can disliked interfering with the original creation or simply copying songs.
Copying movies was one thing, but copying songs felt rather dull.
Perhaps they could create even better works.
'Call Me Maybe' was scheduled to be promoted on radio next month,
and it was believed that in just over a month, the melody of this song would be heard on streets worldwide.
As for Lana Del Rey, with her debut self-titled album performing well, her second album, 'Born to Die,' was completed.
It also included the dark horse single 'Summertime Sadness.'
With these three aces making their moves, Xu Can felt that the most formidable company in his group was no longer Star River Pictures;
Galaxy-Music might just achieve a breakthrough!
Three days later, with Taylor Swift, it would be an unbeatable lineup!
Of course, besides them, Xu Can's company also leveraged its foresight to sign Justin Bieber and Bruno Mars in advance,
and poached Shakira, Pique's future girlfriend, from Columbia Records.
By next year's World Cup, Xu Can would exclusively own the copyright to her world-famous song 'Waka Waka.'
...
The music division was gaining rapid momentum, on the verge of creating legends.
The digital effects company was also flourishing; they no longer needed to rely on film companies for sustenance.
Starlight Digital itself was Hollywood's most famous effects studio, achieving instant fame with 'Iron Man' and 'Spider-Man 2'!
Many upcoming blockbusters in Hollywood were now choosing to collaborate with Starlight Digital.
For example, the upcoming Paramount blockbuster 'star trek' chose to deeply collaborate with Xinghe Entertainment.
As the saying goes, if you can't beat them, join them; Paramount had been thoroughly subdued by Xu Can for several years in a row.
In addition, 'transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen' also chose Starlight Digital.
These two films brought Xu Can nearly $200 million in revenue!
It was an absolute windfall!
Starlight Digital previously handled the production of 'captain america 1' and 'Thor,'
and would next undertake the effects for 'interstellar,' as well as 'The Avengers,' which was expected to begin filming in the second half of the year!
...
Xinghe Entertainment's streaming platform, GalaxyTV+, also did not cease its activities.
At Xu Can's suggestion, the platform signed 'breaking bad' producer Vince Gilligan and began developing the hit series 'breaking bad.'
Furthermore, the platform was in talks with George R.R. Martin, the author of 'A Song of Ice and Fire,' for copyright, with an agreement largely reached.
Alan Taylor would team up with George R.R. Martin to create 'Game of Thrones.'
'the walking dead' producer Glen Mazzara was also brought to the platform to oversee series production.
Because Xu Can was backed by three blood-transfusing channels—music, film, and effects production—
he could approve unlimited budgets, using money to churn out high-quality series!
Besides the flagship 'the big bang theory,' 'breaking bad,' 'Game of Thrones,' and 'the walking dead' were scheduled to air successively in the second half of 2009!
Additionally, 'sherlock,' 'Shameless,' and 'Spartacus' were already in the pipeline and being developed.
With these trump cards, GalaxyTV+ would become the world's leading streaming platform!
It would achieve absolute dominance!
...
Star River Pictures' most important project currently was 'interstellar,' which would not be mentioned for now.
Next, on the Marvel front, Kevin Feige reported his plans to Xu Can.
'captain america 1' was set to be released in May, 'Thor' at the end of June, and 'Iron Man 2' at the end of July!
Xu Can's Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase One was about to dominate the 2009 summer box office!
Once these three blockbusters were released in sequence, 'The Avengers' would not be far off!
This time, Xu Can did not plan to film an origin movie for Hulk.
Ang Lee's previous 'Hulk' did not perform well, but it had already familiarized audiences with the origin story.
After much thought, Xu Can decided not to film 'The Incredible Hulk' as a standalone movie.
Hulk's origin story would be integrated into 'The Avengers,'
since Hulk's origin had little to see and was well-known.
The upcoming 'World War Hulk,' 'Red Hulk,' 'Immortal Hulk'...
These major events related to Hulk were the best choices for Hulk's solo films!
No matter what event was filmed, it would be arranged for Marvel's Phase Two.
"The Hulk project is temporarily shelved; prioritize The Avengers."
"Understood, don't worry, Xu," Kevin Feige agreed wholeheartedly.
The entire Marvel Cinematic Universe was their independent operation; Xu Can was responsible for controlling the general direction and did not participate in specific creative work.
His energy was more focused on those more meaningful films.
Of course, when Spider-Man makes his appearance, Xu Can will certainly be involved.
Even 'Spider-Man 3: Into the Spider-Verse,' where Peter Parker battles the Sinister Six,
not only will Spider-Gwen appear, but other Marvelcharacters will also make cameo appearances as Easter eggs.
This will be scheduled after 'avengers 1' and before 'Avengers 2.'
Throughout the meeting, Kevin Feige and a group of company executives and shareholders discussed and participated seriously.
As a group with the greatest potential to become a giant in Hollywood, Xinghe Entertainment was worth everyone's investment and dedication as their own career.
However, throughout the process, angel investor Ivankaremained detached from the team.
She simply listened gracefully, sitting quietly like a cold goddess, offering no suggestions.
"Do you have anything to say?"
Xu Can asked softly while others were discussing.
Ivanka just shook her head gently.
"This is your team; I don't interfere. Besides... you won't need my investment later, will you?"
"Alright, you can always bring up any ideas you have; after all, you're one of us."
The perfect investor who invested 700 million without a second thought and never interfered with Xu Can's decisions,
Xu Can truly considered her one of his own.
Otherwise, Ivanka wouldn't have been present at this high-level meeting.
Hearing the word "partner," Xu Can felt it was quite normal, but a slight blush appeared on Ivanka's originally fair cheeks.
Her elegant posture immediately became a little unnatural.
"What's wrong? Are you not feeling well?"
Xu Can noticed the anomaly and leaned in to ask her.
As he leaned closer, his leg accidentally brushed against Ivanka's calf.
These were originally normal interactions, but Ivankasuddenly felt a little flustered just now.
Coupled with Xu Can's warm breath on her ear, Ivankainstantly shivered.
In front of so many people in the meeting room, she inexplicably felt an unprecedented jolt.
"N-nothing, it's fine."
"Hmm?"
Xu Can looked at her a little strangely. What happened all of a sudden?
Could it be that her period came?
Trump's daughter suddenly becoming shy made Xu Can a little unaccustomed.
The originally calm, aloof, and noble young lady actually had such an expression.
Quite interesting.
Perhaps out of a playful mood, Xu Can, while she wasn't paying attention, secretly blew a breath into her ear again.
As expected, Ivanka shivered again, glaring at Xu Can, but her beautiful eyes sparkled.
"Okay, okay, that was an accident just now."
Xu Can knew when to stop and pretended he didn't do it on purpose.
Lest he annoy the young lady too much.
At the conference table, people from other departments were still brainstorming, completely oblivious to the interaction happening here.
Ivanka, however, had never felt so embarrassed, with various strange feelings intertwined in her heart.
"Superbad! This Xu Can!"
…
After the meeting, Xu Can and Ivanka walked side by side, the young lady having regained her previous serene demeanor.
"If there are any subsequent investment plans, you can contact me anytime."
Anyone with a discerning eye knew the potential of Xinghe Entertainment. Regardless of her relationship with Xu Can, Ivanka was willing to invest in him.
"We can be self-sufficient; we don't need it for now," Xu Can politely declined, "Of course, our relationship will definitely not change."
"What relationship?" Ivanka suddenly looked at Xu Canwith her beautiful eyes.
"A cooperative relationship," Xu Can was a little bewildered, "What other relationship could there be?"
"Oh."
Arriving at the main entrance, a Rolls-Royce was already waiting for her with its door open.
Ivanka suddenly stopped and looked at Xu Can.
"Do you have any plans later? Want to grab a meal together?"
As she spoke, Ivanka unconsciously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Hmm?"
With Spider-Man's meticulous observation and the blue pill salesman's philanderer-like emotional intelligence,
Xu Can suddenly realized a problem.
"Could this young lady really be interested in him?"
Xu Can immediately felt a bit awkward.
Last New Year's Eve, Ivanka had invited him to a party and suggested he be her escort.
Xu Can was busy dealing with Taylor Swift and Stone Sister, so he casually brushed her off.
Now, encountering Ivanka's direct invitation again, there was nothing wrong with refusing, but Xu Can couldn't bear to see a girl upset.
"It's just one meal; it won't have any connection with Trump, right?"
Xu Can pondered and still accepted the invitation, getting into Ivanka's Rolls-Royce.
…
The next day, a private Boeing 757 passenger plane.
Flew from Los Angeles to China on the other side of the ocean.
Xu Can looked at the plane's interior, his face covered in sweat.
From the door handles, faucets, light fixtures, mirror frames… everything visible was made of pure gold.
Even the toilet was made of gold.
Luxury cabins, massage bathtubs, bars, audio-visual rooms… all recreational facilities were fully equipped.
This was one of Trump's private jets, "Trump Force One,"
But now it was borrowed by his eldest daughter, Ivanka, for Xu Can to ride.
Simply because Xu Can mentioned his next itinerary yesterday, saying he was returning to China to prepare for a new film.
Ivanka, without a word, sent her private plane to escort Xu Can,
She herself was, of course, also on the plane.
"Do you like it?" Ivanka still looked at Xu Can serenely, noticing that he had been observing the golden interior.
"It's alright."
This plane was too flashy; it wasn't Xu Can's style.
"If you like it, I can give it to you."
"Huh?"
Xu Can was slightly stunned.
Please don't be like this, rich lady; I don't mooch off women.
If converted into cash, it might be worth considering…